Esh Group makes Profit Track 100 list

Regional managing director Simon Phillips (left) and construction director for Scotland John Moore at the £8.9m Engine Shed project in Stirling
Regional managing director Simon Phillips (left) and construction director for Scotland John Moore at the £8.9m Engine Shed project in Stirling

Esh Group has been named in the Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100.

The group, which includes Livingston-based Esh Border Construction, was placed at 54 on the list, which ranks the UK’s private companies with the fastest growing profits over three years.

The construction specialist was named in the league table after recording an average profit growth of 75 per cent for that period. In 2014, it delivered a turnover of £253 million and profit before tax of £9.1m



The annual rundown placed Esh Group alongside such Scottish names as Dumfries and Galloway-based Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Aberdeen’s BrewDog, and Glasgow’s Paterson Quarries.

The league table and awards programme is sponsored by BDO and UBS Wealth Management, and is compiled by Fast Track, the Oxford-based research and networking events firm.

Esh Border Construction established its place in Scotland when it opened a regional office in Livingston last year, supporting further growth prospects and helping to secure new business wins.

Among its successes are being named the appointed contractor on Historic Scotland’s £8.9m Engine Shed project in Forthside, Stirling, which is due to open later this year.



Despite turbulent international markets and the looming EU referendum, the Profit Track 100 league table indicates those benefitting from a period of sustained economic stimulus and growth - and Esh Border Construction believes that it has benefitted from a collaborative strategy that has helped to harness a revitalised construction industry north of the border.

Simon Phillips, regional managing director for Esh Border Construction, said: “As part of Esh Group, we are proud to have been named on the BDO Profit Track 100.

“Esh Group’s place on the list is recognition of the hard work of all our staff and the valued support of our supply chain and customers.

“Being ranked alongside some of the best businesses in the country such as BrewDog and Edinburgh Woollen Mill tells us that we are moving in the right direction – and our Scottish presence has aided that progress.



“We underlined our commitment to Scotland last year with the opening of our Livingston base, and have continued to enjoy a pleasing pipeline of work including new build developments, sympathetic regeneration work, and high quality social housing.

“The new base widens our coverage in Scotland and has enabled us to deliver projects across the Central Belt.

“The extension of our Added Value work in the community via our award-winning Building My Skills programme – supported by over 60 other businesses – has also further demonstrated our commitment to Scotland.

“Of course, a major part of any company’s success is also its partners; we firmly believe that working closely with our subcontractors and suppliers is key.



“With the number of infrastructure and construction projects across Scotland continually increasing, adding value in everything you do is increasingly a key driver of sustainable growth.”

Terry Jones, partner at BDO, the title sponsor of the league table, said: “Medium-sized businesses across the UK are thriving, creating one in four jobs and responsible for one third of the country’s total revenue.

“They are seizing the opportunities a recovering economy presents and the most profitable have remained focused on sustainable growth through investment in innovation, diversification and overseas expansion.”

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